Random Death
by Frontline
Summary: Spoiler and Black Bat team up to protect Downtown Gotham, discovering that a new drug on the streets is killing people...
1. Chapter 1

**All characters and concepts are the property of their respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.**

 _This place is cool and creepy at the same time_ , Spoiler thought as she looked around the Bat-Cave. Only Batman would have a secret lair in a huge cavern under the mansion of the richest man in Gotham City. _Although, I guess none of us can really claim to be 'normal'..._

That was an understatement, she knew. After all, she was sitting here in a hooded purple costume with a cape and a black mask that hid her face.

 _I mean, here I am. Stephanie Brown, hanging around in the Bat Cave..._

'What do you think this is about?' she asked, glancing over her shoulder at Black Bat. In her black body suit, she almost blended into the gloom of the cave if it wasn't for the yellow stylised bat on her chest.

'We'll know when he gets here,' she said and Spoiler shrugged.

 _Cass was always more patient than me. At least my costume isn't the most garish here..._

With a wry grin, she glanced over at where Robin was sitting cross-legged on the floor, his sword resting on his knees. He was dressed in a red tunic with his yellow cape and green mask. Seated at the terminal behind him was Red Robin in his red and black uniform with the stylised wing cape, his head bent as his fingers flew across the keys.

'Where is he?' Damian asked, springing to his feet. 'I've got things to do...'

'It must be important,' Nightwing said, from where he was leaning against the wall. Like Black Bat, he wore a black body suit with a red bat motif on the chest. 'Otherwise, he wouldn't have called us all here...'

The silence of the cave was shattered by the roar of an engine and she turned to see a motorcycle racing down the runway towards them, being ridden by a woman in a black uniform with a yellow bat on the chest, her cape flying out behind her.

 _Batgirl. Looks like the gang's all here..._

Bringing the bike to a halt, she kicked down the stand and dismounted, walked towards them.

'Anyone know what this about?' she asked.

'You know Bats,' Red Hood said and Spoiler didn't have to see under his trademark headgear to know that he was smirking. 'He loves keeping us in the dark...'

'I wasn't asking you, Jason,' Batgirl said, pushing past him to stand next to Nightwing with her arms folded over her chest.

'Listen,' Jason began, just as the entrance to the Batcave opened and they all turned to see Batman descending the stairs towards them.

'Thank you all for coming,' he said, without preamble. 'A lot has happened over the last few months and...'

'That's an understatement,' Jason muttered and Batman glared at him for a second, before continuing.

'As you all know, the GCPD has been ordered to cease all co-operation with 'costumed vigilantes'. That means we have lost access to a valuable resource...'

'They've also become more effective,' Nightwing put in. 'They've arrested Mr Freeze, Riddler and Clayface in the last few weeks.

'That also makes them more dangerous to us,' Damian added and Batman nodded.

'True. Which is why we'll be shifting our focus. For now, we'll let the Police continue to deal Gotham's "supervillains", while we focus on issues that they can't, or won't, deal with.'

'Like what?' Red Robin asked.

'Corruption. Organised crime. Anything that the Police aren't paying attention to. We'll need to establish a network of informants and agents like Dr Hopkins who can be our eyes and ears on the streets, keeping a watch for those who might need our help...'

'That's a bit...low-level for us, isn't it?' Jason asked and Nightwing gave him a shove.

'In case you've forgotten, we're doing this to help people,' he said, turning to Batman. 'How's this going to work?'

'We're going to divide our operation, working in pairs. Each team will be responsible for one district. Nightwing and Red Robin, you'll take Uptown. Batgirl and Red Hood, Midtown. Spoiler and Black Bat, Downtown. Robin and I will operate independently as situations dictate. The locations of your new bases of operations are on the Batcomputer. Robin, with me...'

Without waiting to see if he was following, he strode towards the Batmobile and Nightwing stepped forward.

'Alright. You all know what you need to do. Let's get to work...'

#######################

The music pounded in Sofia's ears as she danced among the press of bodies on the dance floor, swaying with the rhythm of the beat. As the crowd flowed around her, she found herself dancing next to a dark-haired girl in a tight tank top and jeans, before she whirled away to be replaced by a cute guy with spiky blond hair. Reaching the edge of the dance floor, she made her way towards the bar when Andrea was waiting.

'Have fun?' she asked as she handed her a drink and Sofia nodded.

'Uh-huh. You should try it...'

'I'm fine here,' she said with a grin. 'That boy was very cute...'

'The girl wasn't bad looking, either...' she said, downing her drink in one shot. 'Anyway, I'm just going to freshen up. I'll be back in a minute...

#######################

Spoiler and Black Bat landed on the rooftop over looking Downtown Gotham. Like most of Gotham at night, it was bathed in the glow of street lamps and neon lights. However, the real sounds of Gotham drifted up to them; police sirens, alarms, gunshots and screams.

'Well, I guess this is our new home for a while,' Spoiler said. 'You wanna go and take a closer look...?'

'We do not know enough about this area,' Bat Black said, levelly. 'We should continue onto the safehouse...'

'I guess you're right,' Spoiler said, with a sigh. 'Come on...'

#######################

Sofia headed across the bar towards the ladies with her hands casually tucked in her pockets. As soon as she was sure that she was out of sight of Andrea, she ducked left and headed down the stairs towards the lower floor and looking around. It didn't take long for her to spot who she was looking for, a young guy leaning against the railing in a shadowy corner and she made her way over...

#######################

'How much money does Batman have?' Spoiler asked as she returned to the top floor of the appartment.

'Enough,' Black Bat said and she shook her head.

'I'll say. I mean, look at this place. It's got a gymnasium, a computer suite, a medical facility, not to mention the garage and workshop. I can't wait to see what my room's like...'

'We have work to do,' Black Bat said, moving towards one of the computer terminal and booting it up, entering her access code.

'Yeah...I guess you're right...' Spoiler said, moving to take the computer opposite her and opening the files that Batman had provided.

 _It's going to be a long night..._

#######################

Sofia walked quickly back towards the stairs, slipping the plastic packet into her back pocket. Climbing the stairs, she glanced around before heading on towards the ladies' with a smile...

#######################

'I need a break,' Spoiler said, sitting back from her computer with a groan, rubbing her neck. Pushing back her chair, she headed towards the gym, zeroing in on the punching bag. Predictably, Cass was still working with her head bent, her eyes flicking left and right as she read.

'Did you read those files on the GCPD Detectives?' she asked, delivering a swift jab to the punching bag, following it up with a elbow strike. 'Some of them could be useful to us...'

'We are not to get involved with the Police,' Cass said, without looking up.

'Strictly speaking, they've been ordered not to work with us...'

'We have been given our orders,' Cass replied. 'And we need to follow them...'

'So, we just ignore a potential source of information...?'

'...yes...'

#######################

'Sofia?' Andrea said, pushing open the door to the bathroom and looking around. 'Are you in here...Oh my God! Sofia!'

Her hand flew to her mouth as she saw Sofia lying on the tiled floor, her eyes staring at nothing. She stood there for a second before turning and running out of the bathroom, shouting for someone to call an ambulance...

 **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.**


	2. Chapter 2

**All characters and concepts are the property of their respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.**

'I've got tonight's Police reports,' Steph said and Cass looked up from her terminal.

'Anything of interest?' she asked as Steph flicked through the files.

'Hold on...car-jacking...breaking and entering...assault...wait a minute...'

'What...?'

'We've got a sudden death in a nightclub. The Police suspect a drug overdose...'

'That's not so unusual...'

'...no. But, there have been fourteen other overdoses over the last three months, all from the same drug...'

'So...?'

'So, this drug has been on the streets for over a year and there haven't been any deaths until now. You don't think this is something we should investigate...?'

'...very well...' Cass said standing up and putting on her mask. 'Let's go...'

#######################

'There he is,' Spoiler said, lowering her binoculars as the dark red car pulled up outside the Police station and a brown-haired man in a leather jacket, a white shirt and grey pants got out.

'We are not to have any contact with the GCPD...' Cass started and Spoiler turned towards her.

'He was the investigating officer. We need to speak to him...'

'...alright,' Cass said. Together, they jumped off the roof, using their jump lines to land quietly behind him.

'Detective Mann,' Spoiler said and he whirled around, his hand reaching under his jacket, taking a step back when he saw them.

'What do you want?' He said, his eyes narrowing and Black Bat stepped forward.

'We want to know about the overdose that you just attended...'

'I'm not going to discuss a ongoing police investigation with civilians,' Mann said.

'We can help you...' Spoiler began, but her cut her off.

'GCPD does not co-operate with costumed vigilantes,' Mann said, drawing his pistol and levelling it at them. 'You're under arrest...argh...' He grunted as Black Bat's batarang struck his wrist, the pistol clattering away. When he looked up, the alley was empty. He stood still for a moment before recovering his pistol and heading inside, glancing back over his shoulder...

#######################

'Okay,' Spoiler said as they landed on the rooftop a few streets away. 'That didn't work...'

'We knew that they would not co-operate with us...' Black Bat said and Spoiler bit back the sharp comment that was on the tip of her tongue.

'...alright. What do you think we should do now...?'

'If the GCPD will not give us any information, then we will need to find someone that will...'

'Who?'

'I have an idea...'

#######################

'Here are those files you wanted, Ms Reese.'

'Thank you, Sara. What's the time?'

'Nearly 11:00...'

'Alright. You might as well get yourself off home...'

'Thank you, Ms Reese. You have that appointment with the accounts department at 9:00 tomorrow...'

'Thank you, Sara. Good night...'

'Good night, Ms Reese,' Sara said, grabbing her coat as she made her way towards the office door. She watched her go before heading towards the door to her penthouse where a man in a dark suit was waiting.

'Evening, Samuel...'

'Good evening, Ms Reese...'

'Is everything alright...'

'Yes, Ms Reese...'

'Thank you, Samuel. How's your little boy?'

'Fine, thank you, Ms Reese. He'll be starting Kindergarten soon...'

'Congratulations. I'll see you in the morning...'

'Yes, Ms Reese...' He said, stepping aside and she opened the door, stepping into the penthouse and closing it behind her.

'I know you're there,' she said, turning towards the window. 'You might as well come out...'

There was silence for a moment and then Spoiler and Black Bat emerged from the shadows.

'Would you like a drink?' she asked, moving to the cabinet and pouring herself a scotch.

'No,' Spoiler said. 'We need to ask you some questions...'

'I'm not in the habit of answering questions from people who break into my apartment...'

'We want to know about a new drug that's on the streets...'

'I'm a business woman. I don't know anything about drugs...'

'You're also one of the biggest players in the local underworld...' Black Bat countered and her eyes narrowed.

'Very well. So, you've done your homework. However, I won't have anything to do with drugs. They're bad for business...'

'And why should we believe you?' Black Bat retorted and she smiled coolly, turning to pour herself another drink.

'I don't care if you believe me or not. Now, if there's nothing else, I want you to leave...'

When there was no answer, she glanced over her shoulder to find that she was alone, the curtains waving in the breeze from the open window...

#######################

'What now?' Cass asked as they landed on the rooftop and Steph grinned behind her mask.

'I've got an idea, but you're not going to like it...'

 **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.**


	3. Chapter 3

All characters and concepts are the property of their respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.

 _'I can't believe I let you talk me into this,'_ Cass said and Stephanie grinned. Even through the earpiece, she could hear the discomfort in her voice. _'I don't know what I am supposed to do...'_

'Have a drink. Get on the dance floor and have some fun...'

 _'We're supposed to be finding out who's selling the drugs...'_

'And we will. But, you need to stop lurking in the shadows and join the party, unless you want to tip the dealer off...'

 _'How long are we going to keep on with this..?'_

'Until...twelve o'clock...'

 _'It's nearly 12:30...'_

'No. It's the dealer. Behind you...

 _'Got him. What do you want to do...?'_

'For now, we watch him...damn...' Stephanie said, as a young blonde woman approached the dealer. They spoke for a few seconds and she handed him a roll of notes, slipping a packet into her back pocket.

 _'What do we do now?'_

'You get the dealer, I'll go after the girl...'

 _'Right...'_

Finishing her drink, Steph got to her feet and headed after the girl as she disappeared into the bathroom.

################

 _'You get the dealer, I'll go after the girl...'_

'Right...'

Cass stood up and headed after the dealer as he strolled towards the stairs that led to the lower floor of the club. Speeding up, she ghosted down the stairs after him and grabbed his arm, slamming him against the wall.

'What the hell?! Get off me...'

'Shut up!' Cass hissed. 'Tell me where you get the drugs...'

'I don't know what you're...argh!' He snarled as Cass twisted his arm behind his back.

'The drugs...'

'Alright, alright. I get a text telling me where to get the next batch. That's all I know...'

'Thank you,' Cass said, searching his pockets and pulling out his cellphone. 'You will tell no-one about this...'

################

'Hello?' Steph called as she pushed open the bathroom door, finding it empty. However, one of the stall doors was shut.

'Hello?' Steph repeated, knocking on the door, but there was no answer.

 _Damn..._

She slammed her shoulder into the stall door and it burst open, revealing the girl sitting on the seat, slumped against the wall with her eyes closed.

 _Oh, God..._

'Cass, I need help in here,' she said, grabbing her under the arms and pulling her off the seat. 'Ladies' bathroom, back of the club. Hurry...'

Laying her on the bathroom floor, she pressed her finger to her neck.

No pulse...

Tilting her head back, she delivered two rescue breaths, pressing her hands onto her chest and starting compressions.

 _Cass, where are you...?_

################

'I'm here...' Cass said as she closed the bathroom door behind her. 'What can I do?'

'She's overdosed. I need you to call an ambulance...'

'We're supposed to be undercover...'

'We can't let her die, Cass...'

'Alright, alright,' Cass said, pulling out her phone and holding it up to her ear. 'Ambulance, please. Suspected drug overdose...'

################

'In here,' Cass said, re-entering the bathroom with two paramedics and Steph looked back over her shoulder.

'She's been down for about 15 minutes. I've been doing CPR, but...'

'I can see,' the Paramedic said, kneeling down next to her. 'We'll take over now...'

Steph hesitated for a second before moving back, allowing them to get to work. They worked quickly, slipping a face mask over her mouth and nose before pulling back her eyelids and shining a small pencil torch into her eyes.

'Pupils fixed and unresponsive. Any breath sounds?'

'No...'

'How long did you say she was down?'

'...about fifteen minutes.'

'...alright. I'm calling it. Time of death, 12:57...'

Dammit... Steph thought, leaning against the wall and squeezing the bridge of her nose.

'We need to leave,' Cass said, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

'I'm not leaving her...'

'There is nothing you can do for her. And the police will be here soon. We need to go...'

'Yeah. Yeah, you're right...'

################

Steph slammed the door of the apartment behind them and threw herself onto the couch, staring at the wall.

'Did you catch up to the dealer?' She asked, after a moment and Cass nodded.

'Yes...'

'Did he tell you anything?'

'He gets sent a text message with the time and location where he can collect his next batch of drugs...'

'That doesn't help us, much...'

'Unless I took his phone, no...' Cass said, pulling it from her back pocket and Steph grinned.

'Alright. Now, we're getting somewhere...'

'What are we going to do, now?'

'We need to see the autopsy on the girl...'

################

'...respiratory depression consistent with opioid overdose. No evidence of seizure or muscular spasm...'

'Dr Reynolds...'

Hearing the voice, he spun round to see two figures standing in the shadows, one dressed in a black body suit and the other wearing a purple cowl and cape.

'I'd ask how you got in here,' he said, pushing his glasses further up on his nose and running a hand through his brown hair. 'However, I already have a good idea. The Batman never cared much for rules, so I doubt that his protégés would have a problem with a little breaking and entering. Anyway, what brings Black Bat and Spoiler here?'

'We need to hear the result of your autopsy,' Black Bat said and Spoiler frowned.

'Hang on. How do you know who we are?'

'GCPD has quite a file on you and it makes interesting reading. Anyway, you want to know about the autopsy? There's nothing much to report, really. All the symptoms are consistent with a drug overdose...'

'Is it possible that it could have been deliberate...?'

'Perhaps. If the dose had been increased beyond what she expected when she purchased it, then it's possible. If I had a sample of the drug, I could compare it to the levels in her system...'

'That might be something that we can arrange...'

################

'Hold on,' Spoiler said, dropping onto the rooftop, Black Bat landing in a crouch next to her.

'What is it?'

'We just got a text...'

Pulling the mobile phone that they confiscated from the dealer from her belt and flipping it open.

'It's for the dealer. We've got the location of the next exchange...'

################

'There he is,' Spoiler said, pointing to the man in a grey hoodie who was lounging against the alley wall. 'Let's go...'

They flew down from the rooftop and Black Bat kicked him in the chest, knocking him backwards. Before he could recover, she had him down on the floor, twisting his arm behind his back.

'We know that you're selling the drugs. Tell us where you get them from...'

'I don't...Argh! Alright, alright. There's a backstreet gym on 3rd Avenue...'

 **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**All characters and concepts are the property of their respective creators. No copyright infringement is intended, or profit made, from this work of fiction.**

'Behind you,' Spoiler yelled, kicking out to bury her foot in the stomach of a wiry man that was running towards her, doubling him over with a grunt of pain.

'I know,' Black Bat said, her fist striking the nose of the man behind her, sending him stumbling backwards with a howl of pain. Spoiler blocked the punch from a sallow-faced man, breaking his arm with an arm bar. As he collapsed, she turned to see Black Bat deliver a knife-hand chop to the neck of the last man, who collapsed to ground with a sigh.

'You've got to teach me that,' Spoiler said, turning to the heavyset man who was standing at the back of the room with his arms folded across his chest. 'Your boys here didn't put up much of a fight, Eddie. We want to know about the drugs...whoa...!'

She ducked as he swung a punch at her head, slamming her fist into his kidney and kneeing him in the groin, dropping him to his knees with a grunt of pain. Before he could recover, she wrapped her arm around his neck.

'The drugs,' she said, tightening her grip.

'Alright, alright...' He began, just as the door to the gym was kicked open.

'GCPD. Freeze!'

'Move,' Black Bat said, flicking a smoke pellets towards the two Police Officers and pulling out her grapple gun, aiming it towards the skylight...

################

'How did GCPD know that we were there?' Spoiler asked as the raced across the rooftops.

'No idea. Perhaps one of the neighbours heard the disturbance and called 911...'

'Perhaps,' Spoiler said as the landed on the roof of their safe house. 'At least we've got another link in the chain. Let's see what we can dig up...'

Heading down the stairs into the apartment, Spoiler took a seat at the computer, Black Bat hovering at her shoulder.

'Here we go. Eddie Richardson. Small time criminal...previous for illegal gambling and extortions...wait...'

'What?'

'Look at his known associates...'

'...Nathaniel Mason...'

'Exactly...'

################

Spoiler's lock-pick clicked and she eased open the balcony window, slipping inside with Black Bat right behind her. Just visible in the light from the window, a figure was lying asleep on her side. Putting her finger to her lips, Spoiler slid the door closed and turned back to see Reese sitting up in the bed. Wordlessly, she slipped out from under the covers, grabbing a silk robe from where it had been discarded on the floor. There was a rustle of silk sheets as the woman who had been lying next to her shifted position. Leaning down to kiss her on her cheek, Reese crossed the room and held open the door to her study. Exchanging a glance, Spoiler and Black Bat proceeded inside, Reese closing the door behind them.

'I already told you that I have nothing to do with the drugs,' she said, folding her arms across her chest. 'Now, get out...'

'You don't,' Spoiler said. 'But Nathaniel Mason does...'

'That bastard,' Reese said, turning away for a second. 'You're sure...?

'He's been working with one of the people responsible for distributing the drugs. And who would be better placed to run such an operation...?'

'...dammit,' she said, clenching her fist. '...alright. Mason runs a warehouse out the East Side Docks...'

'Why are you telling us?' Black Bat asked.

'I can deal with Mason,' Reese said. 'He's betrayed me. And you can destroy his operation and stop the drugs. I don't want them on the streets anymore than you do...'

################

'There's the warehouse,' Spoiler said, lowering her binoculars and passing them to Spoiler.

'There's a lot of activity,' Black Bat added. 'This is definitely the place...'

'We need to call GCPD and let them know,' Spoiler said. 'If we can convince them to raid the place, we can shut them down without needing to expose ourselves...'

'...alright. You make the call and I'll continue surveillance...'

Patching in to the computer back at the apartment, Spoiler put a call through to Detective Mann's phone.

' _Yes...'_

'Detective Mann, this is Spoiler. I have information about the drugs...'

 _'I already told you, GCPD does not co-operate with vigilantes...'_

'Fine. Hang up the phone. But, if you do, you'll lose your chance to take these drugs off the street permanently.

 _'I'm listening...'_

'There's a warehouse on the East Side Docks. If you raid it now, you'll find all the evidence you need...'

 _'I'll see what I can do,_ ' Mann said and the line went dead, Spoiler turning to Black Bat.

'We'd better hope this works...'

################

'They're not coming,' Spoiler said. 'It's been over an hour. If they don't come soon, we'll have to go in ourselves...

'Wait,' Black Bat said, handing the binoculars to her. 'Look. On the south side of the warehouse...'

Pressing the binoculars to her eyes, Spoiler saw the flashing of blue lights as four SWAT armoured vans pulled up and armed officers got out, storming into the building.

'Look like Detective Mann came through,' Spoiler said. 'This should be over soon...wait...'

'What is it?'

'There's someone coming out of the back of the warehouse...it's Dr Reynolds...'

'We need to get down there, now...'

################

Dr Reynolds was running towards the road when Black Bat's kick struck him in the back, sending him stumbling to his knees.

'There's nowhere to run,' Black Bat said as Spoiler landed beside her.

'You're right,' Reynolds said, coming to his feet, drawing a pistol from under his jacket and leaving it at her. A shot rang out and he staggered backwards, the pistol falling from his hand as Detective Mann stepped forward, holstering his own weapon.

'You need to leave,' he said. 'Now...'

 **Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. Any reviews, comments or constructive criticisms are very welcome.**


End file.
